Fall Mantle and Tablescape

My Fall Mantle China Cabinet in all its neutral glory! :) I'm not sure what prompted me to go all neutral up here this year, but it may have been due to these fab horse sculptures I picked up for a song this week at Front Porch of the South. You can see my post on it here.

I don't think I mention these horse heads specifically in that post, because I think I found them the second time I was in there last week, but I got two of them for... wait... $15.

No, I'm NOT kidding you. Ok, sorry, moving along.

I picked up our lovely little owl friend here for $2 not long ago at a little place called Polka Dotties. He was silver, and after I attacked freshened him up with a coat of white spray paint, he is one of my new favorite accessories. Polka Dotties, by the way is located in Ellerslie, GA in a big old house.

I know the lady's husband, and they are very kind, but to be pefrectly honest, the prices are high for a thrift shop. Only, for some reason she didn't know what she had with this little guy! :)

You probably recognize the pedestal from another shot that you can see here.

I tend to like to move stuff around when I'm decorating and use things in different places in my home. Plus, it makes me dust more, so that's always a pain good thing.

You may also recognize the wood disk and apple from a picture of the bookshelf in my living room here. The floral arrangement was a Michaels find from long ago.

The creator of this special little courdurouy punkin is little ole' me! :)

I will be doing three days of tutorials starting Friday on the

Fabric Pumpkin, Burlap Wreath with Felt Rosette Flowers, and Burlap Banner.

Stay tuned for more on this little guy!

My dining room is one of my favorite places to show off holiday decor. It is the first room that people see when they come to my home, and my kids are almost never in there. Seriously, I can set something up in there and it will go untouched. I can't say that for anywhere else in my house. Except maybe the attic! 

The burlap "runner" is just some yardage that I folded up and placed on the table. I didn't feel like cutting, hemming, or really doing anything with it and I like how it has some dimension.

The floral arrangements I picked up at a little place over in Alabama that I found the other day called Bee Bee's Junkin. I'll have to visit her again and take some great photos to share with you!

Another fabric pumpkin made by yours truly and the stand was another great find recently at Front Porch of the South. It's super heavy and was described as a floral arrangement holder. The best part is that you can turn it either way and it still looks good!

Another fabulous pumpkin... I found the felt for this in the remanent bin at JoAnn's for $3. I think I've made two pumpkins plus the rosettes for the wreath and I still have some left to do more fall crafting with. Definately a thrifty find!

I never did a post on this, but thought I would highlight it now. I know that in some ways, the cloche/pedestal trend has passed, however I still love to incorporate pedestals in my decor to add height to vignettes. This is a homemade Goodwill pedestal if there ever was one!

I found the wooden candlestick and the cheese plate in the same trip for a total of less than $4. I pulled the little feet off the cheese plate, popped the metal plate from the top and used some Liquid Nail to attach. They were a perfect stain match! Lucky me!

I just couldn't help but highlight this little Dollar Tree gem.

Hope you enjoy my fall decor!

Linking up to:
Wow Us Wednesdays
Whatever Goes Wednesday
Share the Wealth Wednesday
Show Me What Ya Got
Tuesdays Treasures
Remodelaholic
House of Hepworths
Flaunt It Friday
Transformation Thursday

Thanksgiving Tablescape

My Thanksgiving centerpiece was more of a collection/tablescape than anything else. I used a few things that I had around from my Fall and Halloween decor and just sort of threw this together the day before.

In our house this year, Thanksgiving, for the first time, was a very low-key affair. Since our first year of marriage, my husband and I have always had many, many guests. Usually family, sometimes friends, mostly a little of both. This year, it was just the four of us, so I didn't go all out.

Here's what I used:

From left, my Grammery Double Dish Stand from Willow House. I put a pumpkin and some faux fall leaves on it and then later, the pecan pie on the bottom.

In the middle, the glass pedestal from my fabulous thrift shop finds post here. I painted some pumpkins with watered down elmers glue and rolled them in orange glitter. I paired those two glittery pumpkins with a little one, not glittered, and a tall white candle. Since it was scented, and I didn't want it to take away from dinner, I placed a tealight in the top to burn while we ate. This is also great, since it doesn't burn your tall pillars down to nothing!

On the end, my DIY pedestal from Halloween that you can see here, and DIY jute balls from this post.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Red Hot!

I like to visit model homes. I'm not really in the market to buy a house right now, and I think I'd buy an old one instead of a new one, but I like to go look and see how they are staged.  I like to see other designer's work, and not just the stuff you see published in magazines.

This house is done in reds and browns. I love how crisp the colors are and how the red and chocolate contrast with the white trim. I got some fabulous ideas, and thought I'd share a few photos with you! The quality is not the best, but I was in a little bit of a hurry. I hope you enjoy!



 I love how the white placemats reference the seats of the chairs and the white centerpieces and orchids pop against the bold red.

The table in the kitchen mimics the color palatte in the dining room. I love how the vase in the center almost looks like a candle, and the berry garland stuff in the center is the perfect touch!

Wow! What an accent wall! I love what she did to add height to the top of the built ins! Two story living rooms can be a real challenge to fill, and this does an excellent job!

This is a sitting area in the Master Bedroom. Yup, you read that correctly, IN the Master Bedroom. I've not seen columns before in a master, but this is incredible!

And the Master Bath. Can you see the door in the mirror? All the doors in this home had great beadboard like details, with arched inserts to mimic the arched cased openings in the downstairs. All the fixtures were oil rubbed bronze, and the lighting was a simple, clean, transitional look. Perfect to take modern or traditional!

Halloween Pedestal & Egg Carton Spiders

So I had to get on the pedestal/cloche bandwagon, and try out a DIY Goodwill pedestal, and I can say with absolutely no uncertainty that I am THRILLED with mine! It was so easy, I found exactly what I needed right off the bat, and I love the finished product.

I know you've seen these all over blogland and all over the internet, but I found my first one at On the V Side, and you can see the post here.

So, for those of you who already know the how to on the pedestal, I'll give you the details on everything else in the picture and then I'll do the pedestal how to.

At far left, my cute little fabric pumpkin! To see the how to and full post, click here.

I have a white pumpkin under the glass dome that I think came from the dollar store. It's the shimmery kind, and I'm surprised  it didn't reflect in this pic, because it has before. The orange stuff is crinkly easter grass type stuff that was in a ceramic Halloween gift basket thingy. Technical, I know. And the mouse is from Martha Stewart last year, or a few years back. Here's a little tip on the mice though...

When using construction paper, or cardstock and taping it to a wall, place a piece of tape on the backside that you will stick your rolled up tape or sticky tac to, so that when you get ready to pull it off, the paper doesn't tear.

So the pedestal how to:

1. Find some goodies around the house or at a thrift store. Candlesticks and round wooden anything make great pedestals. I found a brass candlestick and someone's Christmas craft project cast off.

2. Spray paint 'em!

3. Epoxy the bottom of the round wooden plate to the top of the candlestick.

4. Distress with sandpaper if desired and place some fun seasonal stuff on top. I distressed the edges of mine.

By the way, the glass dome from the thrift store cheese plate shown here fits perfectly on this pedestal! Great coincidence for me!

Just a few more little ideas for using your new pedestal and fabric pumpkins!

The square bottle in this photo is a goodwill find, and so is the silver sugar container? urn? what would you call this? I printed the label from cheeky magpie. I wrapped some black grosgrain ribbon around the bottle just cause it looked a little unfinished with just the label. I added a few twigs. Too cute!

Another easy little Halloween craft is the egg carton spider. I won't go into too many details as I don't have the how to photos, and I made them last year, but easy -

1. use cardboard egg cartons and cut each egg holder into it's own piece
2. spray paint black
3. poke 6 or 8 holes in sides with small screwdriver for legs
4. thread black pipe cleaners through holes and bend at ends ( I found 6 is better - 8 gets a little crowded since these are kind of small)
5. glue small googly eyes on front.

Ta da! simple crafty spiders

Willow House Inspiration



Meet my new favorite Willow House item! The French Wire Tiered Stand is so versatile, all the different ways to use it seem never ending... First, check out the pic above with great fall items like apples, pumpkins and caramel corn. This is the perfect piece to add height to any display, yet corral like items together. This is a one-stop snack station for any fall gathering!

Let's look at a few more ways to use this piece, both elegant and fun!

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Don't let this picture fool you... The French Wire Tiered Stand is still here, it's just disassembled and paired with a few other classic Willow House pieces to create an amazing tablescape.  Let's look left to right: The top tier is turned upside down and has the Gail Pittman Alfresco Accent Plates sitting on top. Just behind the top tier is the Royal Street Urn filled with a great fall arrangement of pumpkins, wheat grass and berries. In the middle of the shot is the middle tier sitting elevated on top of the French Wire Plant Holders. In this photo, the larger planter of the set of two is shown. The Gail Pittman Alfresco Pie Plate sits atop the middle tier with a yummy looking apple pie baked to perfection!

The bottom and largest tier at the far right sits atop the Santorini Candlestand and functions as a perfect pedestal! Warm colors and clean lines make these candlestand display pieces perfect for any time of year. Front and center, we see the Kensington Large Platter and Stand. This gorgeous platter is not only decorative it is also functional and adds elegance to any buffet. The handles on the side make it a cinch to carry from prep area to table, and the platter is dishwasher, microwave and oven safe... it doesn't get much easier than that!

French Wire Plant Holders

Santorini Candlestands

A few more thoughts for you on function:

1. Make it two tiers to hold fruit on your tabletop.
2. Use one tier alone for serving snacks and drinks.
3. Use at a party to display pretty wrapped favors for guests to take home.
4. Make into a homework station stocked with school supplies and energy boosting snacks.
5. Use one tier to elevate plates on a buffet and the other two tiers together for silverware and napkins.
6. Use in a nursery to hold diapers, wipes, baby powder, lotions, socks, toys and other necessities.
7. Weave ribbon through the tiers and display Christmas ornaments that don't fit on your tree.

The list goes on and on, but however you customize it, just know that you are getting a piece that can be used in so many ways!

Design on a Dime - Fabric Pumpkins!

This fun little project was something I put together a few years ago and thought I'd share with you! The possibilities go on and on, so feel free to get creative with your fabric choices, and what you pair your new pumpkins with!

First, though, I show you the finished product!

Now, the How To:

Step One: Assemble your materials.

Materials:

1. Square of fabric approx. 20" x 20" (preferably something thin, no upholstery weight stuff)

2. Roll of toilet paper

3. Plastic grocery bags (maybe a dozen or so)

4. Brown paper bag or kraft paper

5. Scissors

Optional : Coordinating ribbon or raffia for an accent on the stem

Step Two:

Place fabric right side down on flat surface. Place roll of TP in the center and surround with plastic grocery bags. Stuff one bag down the center of the roll of TP. 



Step Three:
Pull one corner up and over the bags and stuff down into the center of the roll.

Step Four:
Working clockwise (or counter, whatever) stuff the edges of the fabric into the center of the roll of toilet paper making sure the bags are even all the way around and you get a pleated effect (like the sides of a pumpkin) Tuck all the fabric in until no rough edges are showing.

Step Five:
Finish with a piece of rolled up paper bag for the stem, or in this case, I cut my fabric square a little big to start with, so I had extra left over to pull out for the stem. Wrap raffia or ribbon around the stem for an accent and voila! Instant pumpkin! (Seriously, it took me longer to upload these photos and write out the instructions than it acutally took to make one. I probably could have made a dozen by now!) Happy Fall!

I'm Planning a Fall Party...

Ok, so I think I'd love to have a Fall Party. Right now, the planning is really just me going ga-ga over all the fall love out there!

I'm pretty sure that Fall is the most beloved season of the year. I don't know anyone who doesn't love fall!  Sure, spring is the season of renewal, birth, freshness... but for me, Fall feels more like that! I remember towards the end of summer my mom would start getting her classroom ready for the "new year". I LOVED helping her! All the school supplies! The love! I yearned for the fresh, sharp crayons, clean notebooks with pages just waiting to be written on, the new shoes, and outfits to show off. Indeed, the fall was a time for a fresh start. An exciting time to learn new lessons from a new teacher, and meet new classroom friends.

As I got older, the sights, sounds, and smells of fall became synonymous with that rebirth. Bonfires in the crisp nights are intoxicating. The crunching of leaves underfoot and the reds, oranges, and yellows on the trees everywhere are breathtaking. The cadence of a drum line echoing through a football stadium sends chills through my entire body. Fall is just simply exciting.

So now, fall is the segway to the holidays and the excitement of the season. So much to do, and so many festivities to keep us moving, and I just can't help but want to plan a party of my own! These are some incredible ideas that I just love and plan on incorporating into my own bash!

Easy decor ideas - wrap a can in scrapbook paper, roll votives in glue, then glitter
then cut letters out with a cricut or make your own stencils from cardstock

I love this buffet and it's chocolate/lime color scheme - so cool and mod, yet so perfect for fall!

 

A favorite! I incorportated this idea into my fall party last year with huge success!
Everyone has a lil' sweet tooth, and a lil' something to take home at the end of the night!

For the full post, check out Joyful Weddings and Events

These hanging glass jars are incredibly easy and set the mood with little effort. LOVE LOVE LOVE!

View the entire post here on Hostess With The Mostess

Who can resist a little Martha in their life? I know I can't!

Oh Pottery Barn, I know your stylists love Fall as much as I do! I can't live without these adorable candles!

Great for any season, but oh so perfect for Fall. The textured linen underneath the vintage wooden box is incredible.
Again, credits to Pottery Barn for inspiration

Oh, and this amazing tablescape also brought to you by your fall-loving stylistas at Pottery Barn. There are so many wonderful things to look at, I don't know where to look first or what to be most excited about! I do happen to have the wooden log charger thingy that I found out the other day was called a "cookie" in the park ranger world. The wheat and pomegranates make me swoon and the green apple fillers are oh so fab too!

Share your fall love with me! Post a comment below on what you love most about the fall and link up to any blog posts/favie pics of fall decor for me!
Thanks!